Lawsuit Challenges Jamaican’s Appointment to Florida Supreme Court

The eligibility of a Jamaican recently appointed judge on the Florida Supreme Court is being challenged.

Geraldine Thompson, a Democratic state representative, Windermere, does not believe Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Renatha Francis, who was picked for the Supreme Court by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has met the all the criteria to hold the post and, on July 13, filed a lawsuit to challenge her appointment.

DeSantis named Francis in May, along with Miami attorney John Couriel, to replace former justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck, who left the Supreme Court after being named by President Donald Trump to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

‘INELIGIBLE’

Couriel has since joined the Florida Supreme Court, but Francis will not be eligible to take up that post until Sept. 24. By that time Francis will mark her 10th year as a member of The Florida Bar, which is a requirement for members of the Florida Supreme Court.

“The plain and unambiguous language of the Florida Constitution requires that an individual satisfy that requirement prior to being eligible for appointment,” Thompson’s lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit does not question Francis’s ability or qualifications to serve as a Florida Supreme Court justice. However, it lawsuit alleges that the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission “exceeded the limits of its authority” by including Francis’s name on a list of nine nominees sent to DeSantis in January.

Under the Supreme Court’s rules, the nominating commission cannot recommend appointees to the governor “unless the commission finds that the nominee meets all constitutional and statutory requirements” to serve as a justice.